Among the many challenges for the 31st annual Asics Munciana Classic this weekend was the seeding.

Munciana co-director Mike Lingenfelter is looking forward to a balanced tournament – in part because of which teams won’t be in the field. The club’s Open teams from ages 13-17 will be playing in a tournament in Columbus, Ohio. That group includes the 15 Open Lorax, which is ranked No. 1 in the country by PrepVolleyball.com.

So this weekend gives Munciana a chance to show off its depth with the national-level club teams getting a chance to shine.

“It is nice that it opens this event up for a lot of people. I think you’ll see a lot more competitive volleyball,” Lingenfelter said.

“Our 15-Open team is the best in the country, and to say they have a good shot at winning a national title is an understatement. Our 15-National team is tremendous, and now, that team is front and center with a chance to do some big things. I think it’s going to create an even more competitive atmosphere. This allows for a real balanced level of competition.”

The 18 Open Samurai, coached by Lingenfelter and featuring Yorktown’s Jade York and New Castle’s Avarie Powell, will be playing in the tournament.

There are 135 teams listed on the tournament website, spread across seven divisions. There are 29 teams from Munciana competing, meaning many of the teams are coming from outside of Delaware County, not to mention the Munciana players already coming from cities like Indianapolis.

“I like how manageable (the tournament) is and the number of teams it brings in,” Lingenfelter said. “From that standpoint, it’s a lot of fun because there’s a bit of buzz around Muncie, and that’s never bad.

“When you start to look at it, (135) teams is about 1,500 athletes coming into town. You start to bring 1,500 athletes into town, its 5,000-6,000 influx of people over the weekend. For me, that makes it all worthwhile. That’s one of the reasons I still love doing this every year.”